Video storage and video playing

ABSTRACT

In an approach for storing frames of a video, a computer divides a video into one or more frames. The computer identifies a frame type associated with an individual frame within the divided one or more frames, wherein the identified frame type includes one of the following: an I-frame, a B-frame, and a P-frame. The computer stores the individual frame within a corresponding storage location based on the associated identified frame type.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the field of videoprocessing, and more particularly to storing a video and playing thevideo.

Video provides an electronic medium for recording, copying, playback,broadcasting, and displaying moving visual media. Digital videorepresents the data for moving visual images in the form of encodeddigital data that is discontinuous. Digital video utilizes a videocoding format (e.g., video compression format) that is a contentrepresentation format for storage or transmission of digital videocontent (e.g., data file, bit stream, etc.). Video compression utilizescoding techniques to reduce redundancy in video data such as a series ofstill image frames. The sequence of the frames contain spatial andtemporal redundancies that video compression algorithms attempt toeliminate or code in a smaller size. One of the most powerful techniquesfor compressing video is inter-frame compression. Inter-framecompression uses one or more earlier or later frames in a sequence tocompress the current frame while intraframe compression only uses thecurrent frame (i.e. image compression).

With inter frame prediction, an inter coded frame is divided into blocksknown as macro blocks. Rather than encoding the raw pixel values foreach block, an encoder searches within a previously encoded frame, orreference frame for a block similar to the one being encoding. When theencoder locates a similar block, the current block is encoded by amotion vector, which points to the position of the matching block at thereference frame and calculates the differences (e.g., prediction error)between the two blocks that need to be transformed. The prediction erroris sent to a decoder in order to recover the raw pixels of the encodedblock during viewing. When a suitable match is not found, or when apossible reference frame is also encoded using inter frame prediction,in order to synchronize the video stream and reduce the chances ofpropagating errors in subsequent blocks, an I-frame is used which isintra coded and does not need additional information to be decoded.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present invention disclose a method, computer programproduct, and system for storing frames of a video. The method includesone or more computer processors dividing a video into one or moreframes. The method further includes one or more computer processorsidentifying a frame type associated with an individual frame within thedivided one or more frames, wherein the identified frame type includesone of the following: an I-frame, a B-frame, and a P-frame. The methodfurther includes one or more computer processors storing the individualframe within a corresponding storage location based on the associatedidentified.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing node, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts a cloud computing environment, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts abstraction model layers, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method for storing a video, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5(a) illustrates a common storage format of I-, P- and B-frames ina video, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5(b) illustrates an exemplary storage manner, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5(c) illustrates a mapping between the respective referenceinformation and P- and B-frames, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a video playing method, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a video storage system, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a video playing device, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With a global average connection speed exceeding 4 Mbits/s and increasedaccess to the Internet, more and more video providers and/or onlinemedia sharing platforms are available on the Internet. Embodiments ofthe present invention recognize that with the increase in videoproviders and/or online media sharing platforms, an increase in onlinepiracy (e.g., the illegal copying of copyrighted materials from theInternet) may occur and that protecting the security (e.g., viewing) ofa video from unauthenticated users is important. While embodiments ofthe present invention recognize using a new data type; adding metadataor tags to declare a copyright; and encrypting the entire video, assistin ensuring the security of the video, the methods are not applicablefor controlling all types of online video streaming and make playing thevideo using typical media players difficult for users. Embodiments ofthe present invention also recognize that online video buffering mayincur long wait times due to Internet traffic and/or transferring alarge file such as HD (High Definition) file over video streaming anddegrades the viewing experience of the users.

Some preferable embodiments will be described in more detail withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferableembodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated. However,the present disclosure can be implemented in various manners, and thusshould not be construed to be limited to the embodiments disclosedherein. On the contrary, those embodiments are provided for the thoroughunderstanding of the present disclosure, and to convey the scope of thepresent disclosure to those skilled in the art.

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one example of a suitablecloud computing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as tothe scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 10 is capable ofbeing implemented and/or performing any of the functionality set forthhereinabove.

In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing node 10is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 12 may include, but are not limitedto, one or more processors or processing units 16, a system memory 28,and a bus 18 that couples various system components including systemmemory 28 to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output(I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 viabus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Cloud computingnodes 10 may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (notshown) physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such asPrivate, Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove,or a combination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 tooffer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which acloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that cloud computingnodes 10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with anytype of computerized device over any type of network and/or networkaddressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include mainframes, in oneexample IBM® zSeries® systems; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)architecture based servers, in one example IBM pSeries® systems; IBMxSeries® systems; IBM BladeCenter® systems; storage devices; networksand networking components. Examples of software components includenetwork application server software, in one example IBM WebSphere®application server software; and database software, in one example IBMDB2® database software. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter,WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International Business MachinesCorporation registered in many jurisdictions worldwide).

Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 64 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computingresources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks withinthe cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing provide costtracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computingenvironment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; transactionprocessing; and video data storage and management.

With reference now to FIG. 4, the method for storing the video, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention, will bedescribed in detail. First, the basic idea of the present disclosure andtechnical terms involved will be briefly described.

In video compression and video encoding processes, video frames may beclassified into one of three frame types; intraframe (I-frame),predictive frame (P-frame) and bi-directional frame (B-frame), dependingon compression degree and compression characteristic of the videoframes. An I-frame, also known as an intra-coded frame or keyframe, is asingle frame of digital content that a compressor examines independentof other preceding and/or following frames that stores all of the dataneeded to display that I-frame, but is the least compressible of thethree types of frames. A P-frame, also known as a predictive frame orpredicted frame, includes only the data that changes from the precedingI-frame (e.g., color, content changes, etc.). P-frames depend on thedata from previous I-frames and P-frames to decompress (e.g., fill inmost of the data) and are more compressible than I-frame. A B-frame,also known as a bi-directional frame or bi-directional predictive frame,utilize both previous and later I-frames and P-frames for data referenceand get the highest amount of data compression. B-frames include one thedata that changes from the preceding frame or is different from the datain the very next frame. In addition, studies show that 90% of the framesof a video are P-frames and B-frames, but account for less than 10% ofthe size of the video.

Considering the characteristics of I-, P- and B-frames, in the presentdisclosure, a video is separated into individual frames that areidentified as I-frames and delta frames (i.e., P-frames and B-frames).The delta frames are physically separated and managed, such as forexample, by storing the delta frames in a remote end. The physicallyseparated and managed delta frames assist in protecting the safety ofthe video, but does not result in a loss of time (e.g., increased wait)while loading the delta frames from the remote end due to the small sizeof the P-frames and the B-frames.

As depicted in FIG. 4, in step S401, I-frames of the video are stored infirst storage device 701. In step S401, the video is divided intoI-frames, P-frames and B-frames. The I-frames of the video are stored infirst storage device 701. Within first storage device 701, the videodoes not have to be a complete video; rather the video may be a portionof a complete video, such as a video segment.

In one embodiment, first storage device 701 may be a local storagedevice, so that the I-frames may be loaded and played directly from thelocal storage device in subsequent video playing. In another embodiment,first storage device 701 can be a cloud storage device in the remoteend; however, the time to load the I-frames of larger sizes from thecloud storage device via the Internet when playing the video later willbe longer than when stored in the local storage device.

In step S402, P-frames and B-frames of the video are stored in second702 storage device that is separated from first storage device 701. Instep S402, the P-frames and B-frames obtained by dividing the video arestored in second storage device 702. In one embodiment, second storagedevice 702 may be a cloud storage device different from first storagedevice 701. For example, the cloud storage device may be one of thestorage devices included in the hardware and software layer 60 shown inFIG. 3. Since P-frames and B-frames constitute less than 10% of thetotal size of the video, the time associated with loading the P-framesand B-frames from the cloud storage device via the Internet when playingthe video later does not result in a long wait time.

In another embodiment, second storage device 702 may include firstsub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device 7022. The P-framesobtained by dividing the video may be stored in first sub-storage device7021, while the B-frames may be stored in second sub-storage device7022. In some other embodiment, first sub-storage device 7021 and secondsub-storage device 7022 may be separated from each other, thus, theP-frames and B-frames may be stored separately in the cloud.

In one embodiment, to ensure data security, second storage device 702may be a cloud storage device with an authentication service. Forexample, when playing the video later, a user requests to access secondstorage device 702. The cloud server verifies the access request anddetermines whether the user has access permission to second storagedevice 702. Only authenticated users can access second storage device702 and load the P-frames and B-frames, and a user without accesspermission cannot access second storage device 702. As an example, thecloud server may be one of the hosts included in the hardware andsoftware layer 60 shown in FIG. 3. In another embodiment, an independentcloud server is not necessary to perform the authentication; instead,second storage device 702 is configured to function to as theauthentication for users.

In step S402 the P-frames and B-frames from the video are stored insecond storage device 702 that is separated from first storage device701. However, the P-frames and B-frames in second storage device 702 areassociated with the I-frames stored in first storage device 701 in stepS401. In order to show clear relationships between respective I-framesand respective P- and B-frames, for each I-frame stored in first storagedevice 701, reference information indicting the P-frames and B-framesassociated with the I-frame may further be stored in first storagedevice 701, as explained by way of example within FIG. 5 (a)-(c).

FIG. 5(a) illustrates a common storage format of I-, P- and B-frames ina video. As shown in FIG. 5(a), in the video, each I-frame is followedby a plurality of associated P-frames and B-frames, which use theI-frame as a reference frame directly or indirectly. In the presentembodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), for each I frame (I₁, I₂, I₃ . . . )stored in first storage device 701, corresponding reference information(R₁, R₂, R₃ . . . ) indicating sequential P-frames and B-framesassociated with the I-frame are further stored. For example, FIG. 5(c)illustrates a mapping between the respective reference information andP- and B-frames with respect to the video illustrated in FIG. 5 (a).FIG. 5(b) merely illustrates an exemplary storage manner, and thereference information may be stored in any suitable location within thevideo instead of having to be stored immediately after the correspondingI-frame.

Alternatively, the reference information may include relevant data ofthe P-frames and B-frames associated with the I-frame. For example, thereference information may include one or more indications of a storagelocation of P-frames and B-frames in second storage device 702, a totalsize of the P-frames and B-frames, a starting time associated with theplaying of the P-frames and B-frames in the video, or include otherrelevant descriptive information.

The method for storing the video according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure has been described above in connection with FIGS. 4and 5. In this embodiment, the I-frames and P-, B-frames are storedseparately, and the P-, B-frames are stored in a private cloud storagedevice as an example. Thus, when users without a right to access thecloud storage device play the video in the local storage device, onlythe I-frames load, and the P- and B-frames containing more than 90% ofthe video content cannot load, thus ensuring the security of the video.However when access is authorized, due to the small size of the P-framesand B-frames, the time to load the P-frames and B-frames from the cloudstorage device is greatly reduced when compared with the time associatedwith retrieving the whole video from the cloud, thus enhancing the userexperience.

A description on playing the video stored according to the abovedescribed manner will be given below with reference to FIG. 6, whichillustrates a flow chart of a method for playing a video according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 6, in step S601, an I-frame of the video and referenceinformation are loaded from first storage device 701, in which thereference information indicates P-frames and B-frames associated withthe I-frame. The I-frame and the reference information corresponding tothe I-frame are stored in first storage device 701, wherein thereference information indicates sequential P-frames and B-framesassociated with the I-frame. In one embodiment, first storage device 701may be a local storage device, then in step S601, the I-frame and thereference information are loaded in the local storage device. In anotherembodiment, first storage device 701 may also be a cloud storage devicein a remote end, however, a longer time is associated with loading theI-frame and the reference information from the cloud storage device viathe Internet than when stored in the local storage device.

In step S602, the P-frames and B-frames load from second storage device702 that is separated from first storage device 701 based on thereference information. The P-frames and B-frames that should be loadedare determined based on the reference information, and load from secondstorage device 702. Second storage device 702 may be a cloud storagedevice separated from first storage device 701. Since the P-frames andB-frames have only less than 10% of the total size of the video, thetime to load the P-frames and B-frames from the cloud storage device viathe Internet is not long.

In another embodiment, the reference information includes an indicationof a storage location of the P-frames and B-frames associated with theI-frame in second storage device 702, and in step S602, the P-frames andB-frames load directly from the storage location in second storagedevice 702 according to the indication.

In some other embodiment, second storage device 702 includes firstsub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device 7022. Firstsub-storage device 7021 stores the P-frames, while second sub-storagedevice 7022 stores the B-frames. In an alternate embodiment, firstsub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device 7022 may beseparated from each other, thus, the P-frames and B-frames storeseparately in the cloud. Then in step S602, the P-frames and B-framesload from first sub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device7022 based on the reference information, respectively.

In addition, in order to ensure data security, second storage device 702may be a cloud storage device with an authentication service. Then instep S602, prior to loading from second storage device 702authentication occurs. In one embodiment, the authentication may beperformed by an independent cloud server. For example, in a case that auser requests to access second storage device 702, the access requestwill be verified by the independent cloud server to determine whetherthe user has access permission to second storage device 702. In anotherembodiment, second storage device 702 may be configured to authenticateusers in place of the independent cloud server. In the case that theauthentication passes, indicates the user requesting the loading hasaccess permission, second storage device 702 may be accessed and theP-frames and B-frames load from the storage location in second storagedevice 702 based on the indication in the reference information.

In step S603, the video is played based on the loaded I-frame, P-framesand B-frames. In step S603, any conventional methods may be used todecode and play the loaded video frames, details are omitted herein.

The video playing method according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure has been described in connection with FIG. 6. In thisembodiment, I-frame and P-, B-frames are stored separately with P-,B-frames being stored in a private cloud storage device. Thus, whenusers without a right to access the cloud storage device play the videoin the local storage device, only the I-frame loads, and the P- andB-frames containing more than 90% video content do not load, thusensuring the security of the video. On the other hand, the P-frames andB-frames are of small size, so the time to load the P-frames andB-frames is greatly reduced as compared with placing the whole video inthe cloud, and thus enhances the user experience.

It should be noted that the video may have one or more I-frames. Forease of description, an example that the video contains only one I-frameis described in the above embodiment. However, in the case that thevideo contains a plurality of I-frames, the video playing methoddescribed in the above embodiment is still applicable by performing themethod for each I-frame and P-, B-frames associated therewithsequentially.

The respective embodiments for implementing the method of the presentdisclosure have been described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings hereinbefore. Those skilled in the art may understand that theabove method may be implemented in software, in hardware, or in acombination thereof. Further, those skilled in the art may understandthat by implementing the respective steps in the above method insoftware, in hardware, or in a combination thereof, a device forallocating data to a plurality of servers (or nodes) based on the sameinventive concept may be provided. Even if a hardware configuration ofthe device is the same as that of a general-purpose processing device,the device will exhibit characteristics different from thegeneral-purpose processing device due to a function of softwarecontained therein, so as to form the device according to the embodimentof the present disclosure. The device of the present disclosurecomprises a plurality of units or modules, which are configured toexecute corresponding steps. Those skilled in the art may understand howto write a program to implement actions of the units or modules byreading the present specification.

With reference now to FIG. 7, a video storage system, generallydesignated 700, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure will be described. Since video storage system 700 and themethod for storing the video described above are based on the sameinventive concept, the same or corresponding implementation details inthe above method are also applicable to video storage system 700, andthe implementation details will not be described below because they havebeen described in the above in detail and completely.

As shown in FIG. 7, video storage system 700 according to one embodimentof the present disclosure includes first storage device 701 and secondstorage device 702.

First storage device 701 stores I-frames of the video. The videomentioned in the specification does not have to be a complete video, butmay be a portion of the complete video, such as a video segment. In oneembodiment, first storage device 701 may be a local storage device, sothat I-frames may be loaded and played directly in later video playing.In another embodiment, first storage device 701 can also be a cloudstorage device in a remote end, however, the time to load I-frames oflarge size from the cloud storage device via the Internet when playingthe video later is longer than when loaded from the local storagedevice.

Second storage device 702 is separate from first storage device 701, andmay store P-frames and B-frames of the video. In one embodiment, secondstorage device 702 may be a cloud storage device different from firststorage device 701. Since the P- and B-frames have only less than 10% ofthe total size of the video, the time to load the P- and B-frames fromthe cloud storage device via the Internet when playing the video lateris not long.

In another embodiment, second storage device 702 may comprise firstsub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device 7022, in whichP-frames are stored in first sub-storage device 7021, while B-frames arestored in second sub-storage device 7022. In some other embodiment,first sub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device 7022 may beseparated from each other in the cloud.

To ensure data security, second storage device 702 may be a cloudstorage device with an authentication service. Thus, in the laterplaying of the video, only authenticated users can access second storagedevice 702 and load the P-frames and B-frames, and user without accesspermission cannot access second storage device 702.

In one embodiment the P-frames and B-frames stored in second storagedevice 702 are associated with I-frames stored in first storage device701. In order to identify clear relationships between respectiveI-frames and respective P- and B-frames, for each I-frame stored infirst storage device 701, reference information indicting the P-framesand B-frames associated with the I-frame may further be stored in firststorage device 701. Specifically, according to the common video storageformat, each I-frame is followed by a plurality of associated P-framesand B-frames, which use the I-frame as a reference frame directly orindirectly. In the present embodiment, for each I-frame stored in firststorage device 701, corresponding reference information indicatingP-frames and B-frames associated with the I-frame are further stored.

In another embodiment, the reference information may include relevantdata of the P-frames and B-frames associated with the I-frame. Forexample, the reference information may include one or more indicationsof a storage location of the P-frames and B-frames in second storagedevice 702, a total size of the P-frames and B-frames, a starting timeassociated with the playing of the P-frames and B-frames in the video,or include other relevant descriptive information.

Video storage system 700 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure has been described above in connection with FIG. 7. Forexample, the I-frames and P-, B-frames are stored separately, and theP-, B-frames are stored in a private cloud storage device. Thus, whenusers without a right to access the cloud storage device play the videoin local storage, only the I-frames will be loaded, and the P- andB-frames containing more than 90% video content cannot be loaded, thusensuring the security of the video. On the other hand, the P-frames andB-frames are of small size, so the time associated to load the P-framesand B-frames is greatly reduced as compared with placing the whole videoin the cloud, and thus enhancing the user experience.

With reference now to FIG. 8, a video playing device 800 in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Sincevideo playing device 800 and the method for playing the video describedabove are based on the same inventive concept, the same or correspondingimplementation details in the above method are also applicable to thevideo playing device 800, and the implementation details will not bedescribed below because they have been described in the above in detailand completely.

As shown in FIG. 8, the video playing device 800 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure may include first loading device801, second loading device 802, and playing device 803.

In one embodiment first loading device 801 may load an I-frame of thevideo and reference information from first storage device 701, in whichthe reference information indicates P-frames and B-frames associatedwith the I-frame. As described above, first storage device 701 may be alocal storage device, then first loading device 801 may load the I-frameand the reference information in local storage. In another embodiment,first storage device 701 may also be a cloud storage device in a remoteend, however, first loading device 801 spends a longer time loading theI-frame and the reference information from the cloud storage device viathe Internet.

In another embodiment, second loading device 802 may load the P-framesand B-frames from second storage device 702 separated from first storagedevice 701 based on the reference information. Specifically, secondloading device 802 determines which P-frames and B-frames should beloaded based on the reference information, and then loads the determinedframes from second storage device 702. Second storage device 702 may bea cloud storage device separated from first storage device 701. Sincethe P-frames and B-frames have only less than 10% of the total size ofthe video, the time to load the P-frames and B-frames from the cloudstorage device via the Internet is not as long.

In some other embodiment, the reference information includes anindication of a storage location of the P-frames and B-frames associatedwith the I-frame in second storage device 702, and the P-frames andB-frames can be loaded directly from the storage location in secondstorage device 702 according to the indication.

In yet another embodiment, second storage device 702 may include firstsub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device 7022, and theP-frames are stored in first sub-storage device 7021, while the B-framesare stored in second sub-storage device 7022. In an alternateembodiment, first sub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device7022 may be separated from each other, thus, the P-frames and B-framesmay be stored separately in the cloud. The P-frames and B-frames may beloaded from first sub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device7022 based on the reference information, respectively.

In addition, in order to ensure data security, second storage device 702may be a cloud storage device with an authentication service. Thensecond loading device 802 needs to authenticate with second storagedevice 702 prior to loading from second storage device 702. When theauthentication passes, thus indicating the user includes accesspermission to request the loading, second loading device 802 may loadP-frames and B-frames from the storage location in second storage device702 based on the indication in the reference information.

Playing device 803 plays the video based on the loaded I-frame, P-framesand B-frames. Playing device 803 may be any conventional video player,and thus a detailed description thereof is omitted here for simplicity.

Playing device 803 according to the embodiment of the present disclosurehas been described above in connection with FIG. 8. In this embodiment,the I-frame and P-, B-frames are stored separately with P-, B-framesbeing stored in a private cloud storage device. Thus, when users withouta right to access the cloud storage device play the video in the localstorage device through playing device 803, only the I-frames will beloaded, and P- and B-frames that contain more than 90% of the videocontent cannot be loaded, ensuring the security of the video. On theother hand, the P-frames and B-frames are of small size, so the time toload the P-frames and B-frames is greatly reduced as compared withplacing the whole video on the cloud, and thus enhances the userexperience.

It should be noted that the video may have one or more I-frames. Forease of description within the example, the video contains only oneI-frame as described in the present embodiment. However, playing device803, as described in the present embodiment, is applicable for the videocontaining a plurality of I-frames.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

For example, a computer program product for storing a video may comprisea computer readable storage medium having thereon first programinstructions and second program instructions. The first programinstructions are executable by a processor to store I-frames of thevideo in first storage device 701. The second program instructions areexecutable by the processor to store P-frames and B-frames of the videoin second storage device 702 that is separated from first storage device701. In one embodiment, first storage device 701 may be a local storagedevice, and second storage device 702 may be a cloud storage device. Inanother embodiment, second storage device 702 may include firstsub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device 7022, and theprocessor may be caused to store the P-frames in first sub-storagedevice 7021 and store the B-frames in second sub-storage device 7022.Additionally, the computer readable storage medium may have thereonthird program instructions, which are executable by the processor tostore in first storage device 701, for each of the I-frames, referenceinformation indicting P-frames and B-frames associated with the I-frame.The reference information may further include an indication of a storagelocation of the P-frames and B-frames associated with the I-frame insecond storage device 702.

As another example, a computer program product for playing a video maycomprise a computer readable storage medium having thereon first programinstructions, second program instructions and third programinstructions. The first program instructions are executable by aprocessor to load an I-frame of the video and reference information fromfirst storage device 701, the reference information indicates P-framesand B-frames associated with the I-frame. The second programinstructions are executable by the processor to load the P-frames andB-frames from second storage device 702 that are separated from firststorage device 701 based on the reference information. The third programinstructions are executable by the processor to play the video based onthe loaded I-frame, P-frames and B-frames. In one embodiment, firststorage device 701 may be a local storage device, and second storagedevice 702 may be a cloud storage device. In another embodiment, secondstorage device 702 may include first sub-storage device 7021 and secondsub-storage device 7022, and the processor may be caused to load theP-frames and B-frames from first sub-storage device 7021 and secondsub-storage device 7022 based on the reference information,respectively. The reference information may further include anindication of a storage location of the P-frames and B-frames associatedwith the I-frame in second storage device 702. Second storage device 702may be a cloud storage device with an authentication service, and theprocessor, when executing the second program instructions, may be causedto authenticate with second storage device 702, and load, if theauthentication passes, the P-frames and B-frames load from the storagelocation in second storage device 702 according to the indication in thereference information.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles ofthe embodiment, the practical application or technical improvement overtechnologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinaryskill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer system for storing frames of a video,the computer system comprising: one or more computer processors, one ormore computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored onthe computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of theone or more processors, the program instructions comprising: programinstructions to divide a video into one or more frames; programinstructions to identify a frame type associated with an individualframe within the divided one or more frames, wherein the identifiedframe type includes one of the following: an I-frame, a B-frame, and aP-frame; program instructions to identify one or more I-frames withinthe divided one or more frames; program instructions to identifyreference information that indicates one or more P-frames and one ormore B-frames associated with the identified one or more I-frame, andincludes an indication of a storage device associated with theidentified one or more P-frames and the identified one or more B-frames;program instructions to store the identified one or more I-frames withthe identified reference information on a first storage device of one ormore storage devices, wherein the one or more storage devices comprisethe first storage device and a second storage device that is separatefrom the first storage device and comprises a first sub-storage deviceand a second sub-storage device; program instructions to identify one ormore B-frames within the divided one or more frames; programinstructions to store the identified one or more B-frames on the secondstorage device of one or more storage devices; program instructions toidentify one or more P-frames within the divided individual frames;program instructions to store the identified one or more P-frames on thesecond storage device of one or more storage devices; programinstructions to receive an indication to play the video; programinstructions to load an I-frame and associated reference informationfrom the first storage device within the one or more storage devicesbased on the received indication; program instructions to identify arequest to load one or more B-frames and one or more P-frames from thesecond storage device of the one or more storage devices based on theloaded I-frame and associated reference information; programinstructions to determine whether the received request is authorized toload the one or more B-frames and the one or more P-frames from thesecond storage device of the one or more storage devices, wherein thesecond storage device includes one of the following: a cloud storagedevice with an authentication service and a configuration toauthenticate the received request in place of an independent cloudserver; responsive to determining the received request is authorized,program instructions to load the one or more B-frames and the one ormore P-frames from one or more storage devices based on the associatedreference information; and program instructions to play the video basedon the loaded I-frames, the one or more P-frames, and the one or moreB-frames.